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If you qualify for the 2022 World Cup, this will run until the end of the year. In qualifying, Israel will face the ÖFB national team on September 4 at home and on November 12 in Austria.
Even after the World Cup qualification draw on 7 December, Ruttensteiner, in his role as coach of the Israeli national team, said he did not know who would look after the team. Now all the details have been clarified and the contract signed on Tuesday’s holiday at home in Wolfern. The vote for him was clear: of the around 35 members of the association’s board of directors, only two were against the Austrian’s appointment as team leader, but wanted to keep him as sports director.
“Taking the right path”
“A great vote of confidence that underlines that my team and I have done a good job and are on the right track,” the 58-year-old coach was quoted in a transmission. “It’s fun and a great motivation to compete with the best.” Ruttensteiner is stepping down as athletic director, will support his successor as a consultant and speaker in coaching training.
The technical team should be in place in January, it has already been determined that Klaus Lindenberger will remain as goalkeeping coach. It’s open, but unlikely, that former swim star Markus Rogan will remain the team’s mental coach. In October, he caused a stir because he had left Israel despite an active coronavirus disease because he wanted to quarantine at his home in the United States. At the time, Ruttensteiner spoke of a “terrible mistake by Markus.”
“He wants to do a good job”
Ruttensteiner has been a team manager since July after Herzog announced the end of his job at the end of June. In October, Israel failed to battle for a place in the next European Championship finals in the play-off semi-finals after a penalty shoot-out against Scotland.
“After we managed to stay up in Nations League B and only missed the penalty shootout in the play-off for MS, I don’t want to formulate any results. It is important to me that the team continues to develop and that the positive process continues, ”said Ruttensteiner about the upcoming qualification for the World Cup. “With teams like Austria, Denmark or Scotland in the qualifying group, we cannot take promotion, but we want to play a good role and be there if the opportunity arises.”
Good mix in the team
With 21-year-old Manor Solomon (Donetsk), the Israel team is not only highly talented but also has a record scorer in Eran Zahavi (PSV Eindhoven) who will continue his team career. “It helps a lot that our leader continues. Some U21 players will go up, but basically I will stay in the squad. “
In qualifying for the World Cup, Israel starts on March 25 and 28 with home games against Denmark and Scotland. The home game against Austria will likely take place at the Sammy Ofer Stadium in Haifa or the new Bloomfield Arena in Tel Aviv. “It is another thing when you meet your home country as a team manager in a country or as a sports director of the association. There will be special emotions, ”said Ruttensteiner, who will continue to work as a technical observer in the Champions League.
